OTTAWA -- Chris Drury remembers the events of Oct. 23, 1993, the same night the Maple Leafs won their record 10th consecutive game to start a season.

Only he doesn't recall them doing it.

He was too busy watching the Blue Jays' Joe Carter hit the Shot Heard 'Round Canada, the famous World Series-winning home run against the Philadelphia Phillies.

"I saw Carter's (blast), but I didn't know the Leafs set their (mark) that same evening. That's interesting," Drury said yesterday during a conference call.

Drury's interest in baseball is no surprise. This is a guy who once was the winning pitcher in the championship game at the Little League World Series.

Now, more than a decade later, Drury's focus is on hockey -- specifically, equalling and then eclipsing the aforementioned Leafs milestone, a record that has stood for the past 13 seasons.

Drury's red-hot Buffalo Sabres, already 9-0, will continue their quest for perfection on Long Island tonight against the Islanders. A victory would allow the Sabres to tie the record set by Doug Gilmour and Company.

Should they finish off the Isles as many expect, Drury and his teammates then will have the opportunity to exclusively own the mark with a win over the Atlanta Thrashers at the HSBC Arena Saturday.

Dating back to last spring, the Sabres have won 14 consecutive regular-season games.

"I think it would be neat to set (the record)," Drury said. "It's not first and foremost on our minds but it certainly shows we are playing well."

Of course, not all of Drury's teammates care about the mark. Or, for that matter, know about it.

"Half the guys in our room are not aware of the record, which is probably a good thing," Drury said.

Asked about the fact that the '93 Leafs did not have the option of winning games via shootouts like the Sabres have, Drury made no apologies.